Kew & Preston

Adaptability

To survive is the ability to adapt

According to Einstein, humans need three strengths and to avoid three obstacles to survive.

Some, including Einstein believed that the key for humans to survive is the ability to adapt. Confront us with the harshest climate, the worst diseases, or the most fearsome crisis presented by natural forces, and we adapt.

The ability to adapt to the unknown, Einstein developed three strengths and avoided three obstacles:

Three strengths: Letting go, being flexible, hanging loose

Three obstacles: Habits, conditioning, stuckness

You can measure a person's adaptabilty by how much they are able to let go, remain flexible and hang loose in the face of difficulties. You can measure how poorly a person adapts by the dominance of old habits and conditioning that keep them stuck.

HOW TO BE ADAPTABLE

Stop repeating what never worked in the first place.

Stand back and ask for a new solution.

When the old stressors are triggered, walk away.

See righteous anger for what it really is - destructive anger dressed up to sound positive.

Stop attaching so much weight to being right. In the grand scheme of things, being right is insignificant compared to being happy.

Understanding the emotional component in relation to our decision making processes:

Emotions are more primitive and urgent than rational thoughts. Thoughts move like lightning; emotions move much more slowly and sometimes almost imperceptibly.

Here is a good place to point out that separating emotions and reason is totally artificial. The two are merged. The point is that we make decisions against an emotional background, even if we rationalize that we don't. Part of adaptability is to be aware of the emotional component instead of denying it. Feeling competitive, wanting to punish the other and not wanting to lose are motives often based on irrational factors, i.e. the emotional side of decision making.

You are becoming more adaptable when:

You can laugh at yourself.

You see there's more to the situation than you realize.

Other people no longer look like antagonists simply because they disagree with you.

Negotiating starts to work, and you genuinely participate in it.

Compromise becomes a positive word.

You can hang loose in a state of relaxed alertness.

You see things in a way you didn't before, and this delights you.

Deepak Chopra tells us that we pay a high premium for stubbornly sticking to our opinions, backed by stuck emotions, habits, memories, and beliefs. Bottom line: If you want to achieve success in any field, become like Einstein. Maximize your brain's ability to adapt.